


S'more Tomorrows

by elwinglyre



Category: Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Genre: Alternate Ending, M/M, happy ever after
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 23:37:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11679456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elwinglyre/pseuds/elwinglyre
Summary: An Alternative ending to Brokeback Mountain that I wrote to give Jack and Ennis a chance together. Enjoy!





	S'more Tomorrows

He thought, don't do it-- don't tell him. After their last time together and them hard words they said, Jack knew Ennis was surprised Jack showed. All these years, Jack'd dreamt of the eternal day at the edge of tomorrow. Been here camping five days right on that edge--had five more left and neither one of them mentioned that punch or them hurtful words they'd said. Meeting more than halfway is what Jack thought he was doing by coming this time. Hell, meeting Ennis more than halfway was what Jack thought he'd done all these twenty plus years. And that eternal day? Were times when Jack plumb gave up. But halfway was no way to live. Twenty years with his heart on the mountain and his soul in purgatory was enough. Jack aimed to end it or begin it. He hoped it was begin: he wanted that eternal day with his heart and soul together.

As light and shadow danced in time with each pop of the campfire, Jack warmed his feet and watched Ennis rummage around in the shadows. No Don Wroe's cabin like Ennis had hoped, but Jack was thankful: it wasn't as bitter cold as it could have been. Still, there was a chill-- made Jack shiver. 'Course shivering could be for other reasons. Jack's mind was a nervous knot and his body was tied up just as tightly. He'd waited to tell Ennis; he'd reckoned this halfway point in their "fishin' trip" was a good time, but his mouth betrayed him. It opened, then shut. He couldn't. 

Not yet. 

"What ya diggin' for in that pack?" Jack asked instead. Then he heard something unfamiliar. _I'll be,_ Jack thought, _DelMar's whistlin'!_ Each note came out in visible puffs like smoke from a train's stack. 

Ennis straighten up some. Seeing Ennis in the flickering firelight never failed to take Jack's breath away. The sight took him back years. Jack strained his eyes to watch Ennis push back his hat, then jam something into his coat pocket. Time had made some mighty-fine lines on Ennis DelMar, but to Jack all that done was make the man more handsome. Watched Ennis searching, fumbling 'round more with them fine hands of his, then heard Ennis give a satisfied grunt. 

Ennis stood up, hands hidden behind his back like a kid hiding valentine. Jack wondered what kind of game Ennis was playing. Had to admit, Jack missed them hands hidden away like that. After all these years, Jack still ached inside for a simple brush of them fingers. 

Ennis stood straight and silent. Seemed Ennis was waiting for Jack to ask, so he raised an eyebrow and asked, "What ya got there?"

On the other side of the campfire, Ennis kicked a log over and sat himself down on it, keeping his arms tucked behind his back.

"Jack Twist!" Ennis smirked. "All questions and no answers." 

Jack licked his lips. He reckoned he could guess what Ennis had. Whiskey most likely. Whiskey'd be good, loosen Ennis up a bit so's Jack could tell him.

Didn't look like Ennis was offering up his little secret, so's Jack gave it a shot: "Jack Daniels?" 

Shadows swayed and Ennis laughed, then brought out his surprise. Damnedest thing, because instead of a bottle of whiskey, Ennis held out a bag of marshmallows.

"Thought it'd be-- fun," Ennis said, tossing the bag in the air and catching it. "Got us some proper roasting' sticks, too. Green ones, so's they won't burn. Whittled em to a nice point." 

Jack laughed so hard he fell off the stump he was perched on. He hooted and hollered and damn near forgot them days he'd been counting: Only thing that mattered was Ennis and his warm, sparkling eyes and that bag of Campfire marshmallows plopped in his lap. Jack eased closer to the fire. It'd been awhile since Ennis had done something fun that didn't include ripping off clothes and nipping earlobes. 

"Idea came ta me drivin' here--" Ennis said. "Got ta thinkin' about when I was a kid and what I liked best 'bout campin' out in the cold." Then he gave Jack one of his lopsided grins that made Jack's heart ache.

Ennis got up and handed Jack the stick he'd whittled. Jack inspected the point with his thumb. Nice 'n sharp.

Ennis sidled over next to Jack with the marshmallows, and he tested the point on his own stick. He set it aside.

"What?" Ennis asked, tearing the bag open with his teeth. "Ain't ya ever roasted marshmallows before?"

He stabbed a marshmallow on the end of Jack's stick for him. 

"Nah, afraid not."

Ennis sat down in the dirt next to him, thigh to thigh. 

"Never a Boy Scout?" Ennis asked. 

Jack gave a sad laugh. "Wanted to, but my old man was set against it. Told me I had plenty to do 'round our ranch without bein' with a pansy-ass bunch of boys." Jack also remembered the whipping he got when he ignored his dad and went to a meeting anyway. 

Jack thrust his marshmallow into the heart of the fire, and it promptly burst into flames. "Shit!" Jack said. Jack watched the fire sizzle and leave a blacken mass in its wake, drooping on his stick. Ennis grabbed Jack's stick and blew it out for him.

"There's two ways to make 'em," Ennis chuckled. "Toasted 'n brown like mine or charred 'n black like yours." 

Jack tested his, but it was still hot.

"Wait a minute-- don't eat it yet," Ennis said. "I got us something else." And he reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a waxed package of graham crackers and two Hershey bars. Jack smiled and licked his lips as Ennis unwrapped the chocolate, broke the squares apart and arranged them on the cracker. Jack couldn't believe it. S'mores. As a kid, he'd heard his Cub Scout buddies talk about about how good they were, but he'd never had one. Ennis slid the gooey marshmallow off his stick and nodded for Jack to help himself.

"Better make it while yer marshmallow's still hot," Ennis said. "Melts the chocolate."

Jack made his own, the marshmallow oozed out the sides as he took a bite. Jack sighed. _So good_. 

"Got some in your mustache." Ennis reached out, took his thumb and smoothed away the crumbs and chocolate, but the marshmallow clung on. His thumb hovered there, then Ennis leaned closer and licked Jack's upper lip. His mouth lingered there, waiting. Jack took over, mouths meeting, sticky and sweet. 

But that wasn't enough. Never enough. 

As Ennis broke the kiss, Jack pulled Ennis' jacket, yanking him close, kissing him hard on the mouth. "Best idea you've had in awhile, friend," he said. Jack was set for a tumble on the ground, but Ennis had other ideas. He set himself between Jack's legs, all cozy-like. 

"Make another, but don't burn it this time," he kidded.

Jack ate his fill, made his brown and toasty like Ennis suggested. Loved having Ennis' back pressed against his chest-- made the cold November night bearable. When finished, Jack poked embers with his gooey stick, sending sparks up like so many fireflies. 

Reckoned now was as good a time as any. 

"I left Lureen," Jack said quietly. He set the stick aside and wrapped his arms around Ennis. "Quit my job."

He waited-- felt Ennis tense. Jack stared into the heart of the fire. "Packed up and left. Got what's mine in that truck. Twenty fuckin' years and all I got ta show for it are mess of clothes, that truck and a check with that son-of-a-bitch-Newsome's signature on it."

"Jack..."

"Before ya say anythin', need ta tell ya a story-- tell ya what happened that made me pack it up, then ya can say what ya need." 

Ennis nodded, then threw his own stick into the fire, sending sparks shooting up into the night air. 

"After leaving you last time, I was feeling mighty low. Could say I hit rock-bottom. Always hoped... anyhow, I took ta drinkin'. Didn't care much 'bout nothin', nobody. Ashamed ta say, I ignored Bobby, Lureen. Didn't give a rat's ass about sellin' no combines. Fact is up until six weeks ago, mind was made up that I wasn't gonna be here come November ta meet ya. Hell, all them things you said you didn't want ta come ta know? Well, I might not a done em before, but I done em then. Was stupid, real stupid. Got careless-- like I said. One night, was comin' home late after, well, after being with this friend. Was driving down this long lonely stretch of highway and got a flat. Was changing the tire when these good-ol-boys stopped ta help, only it weren't for help. Nope. Started in on me good. Fought em best I could, but there was more of them than me. All I can say is in the end, I was lucky, damn lucky. Off-duty sheriff drove by and seen what was happenin', jumped out of his truck, and they all scattered like crows. Tell you what, starin' up at them stars, thinkin' this is it, this is the end-- it changes a man. Changed me. I seen somethin' that night. Seen it clear. Always I loved you, Ennis DelMar. Worst part was lookin' up at them stars thinkin' I was dyin' and knowin' I'd never get ta tell you that. "

Jack waited. He'd hugged Ennis tighter as he'd told him his story, glad that Ennis' back was to him since a part of Jack was afraid to look into Ennis' eyes-- afraid of what he'd see there. 

"Everything ya own is in your truck," Ennis said finally. 

"Yep."

Thing about time at night-- when asleep, it zips away, but when awake,' it walks. It was walking mighty slow for Jack right then. Jack listened to the night sounds and fire crackle. Felt Ennis tense against him. He held his breath as Ennis began to speak.

"I done a lot of thinkin' over these last months. Jack, gotta say that there's somethin' worse than dyin' alone and that's livin' alone. Don't want ta be alone no more." 

Ennis turned into Jack, arms reaching, circling each other. But it wasn't like that last parting hug. No, this hug had promises.

No more halfway. No more edge of tomorrow.

"Don't know where we're goin' from here," Ennis said.

Jack felt the world open-- eternity was in sight; it didn't matter to Jack where they were going, as long as they were going together.

**Author's Note:**

> As always comments and Kudos appreciated.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr: [**elwinglyre Tumblr**](https://elwinglyre.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
